The Functions of Code Switching in ELT Classrooms

Olcay SertHacettepe University (Ankara, Turkey)sertolcay[at]yahoo.com

Code switching is a widely observed phenomenon especially seen in
multilingual and multicultural communities. In ELT classrooms,
code switching comes into use either in the teachers’ or the students’
discourse. Although it is not favoured by many educators, one should
have at least an understanding of the functions of switching between
the native language and the foreign language and its underlying
reasons. This understanding will provide language teachers with a
heightened awareness of its use in classroom discourse and will
obviously lead to better of instruction by either eliminating it or
dominating its use during the foreign language instruction.

Introduction

Alternation between languages in the form of code switching is a widely
observed phenomenon in foreign language classrooms. Numan and Carter
briefly define the term as “a phenomenon of switching from one language
to another in the same discourse” (2001:275). Following this
definition, “discourse” will
be handled as the students’ and teachers’ naturally occurring language use in
classroom settings throughout this paper. Additionally, the languages
between which alternation is performed are the native language of the
students, and the foreign language that students are expected to gain
competence in.

While putting the phenomenon of code switching in context, the
functions of code switching will be introduced in various aspects.
Firstly, its function in bilingual community settings will briefly be
explained by giving a sample authentic conversation which will help the
reader deduce ideas about its possible applications in educational
contexts. Secondly, the functionality of code switching in teachers’
classroom discourse will be introduced with its aspects as: topic
switch, affective functions, and repetitive functions. Thirdly, the
focus will shift to students’ code switching by introducing some basic
functional perspectives as: equivalence, floor holding, reiteration,
and conflict control. Lastly, weak and strong sides of code switching
in foreign language classrooms will be discussed with a critical
approach.

Code Switching in a Bilingual Community Context

Before considering the functions of code switching from the teachers’
and the students’ perspective, it would be appropriate to deal with the
use of code switching in its naturally occurring context; in other
terms its functions in the discourse of bilingual individuals.
According to Trudgill, “speakers switch to manipulate or influence or
define the situation as they wish, and to convey nuances of meaning and
personal intention” (2000:105). Drawing upon this quotation, it may be
suggested that code switching can be used for self expression and is a
way of modifying language for the sake of personal intentions.

Another function of code switching is that it may be used in order to
build intimate interpersonal relationships among members of a bilingual
community. In this respect, it may be claimed that it is a tool for
creating linguistic solidarity especially between individuals who share
the same ethno-cultural identity. In order to clarify the subject, the
following dialogue which is observed and transcribed by Holmes may be
given (1992:275):

(The Maori is in italics. THE TRANSLATION IS IN CAPITALS) Sarah: I think everyone’s here except Mere. John: She said she might be a bit late but actually
I think that’s her arriving now. Sarah: You’re right. Kia ora Mere. Haere mai. Kei te pehea koe?
(HI MERE. COME IN. HOW ARE YOU?) Mere: Kia ora
hoa. Kei te pai. Have you started yet?
(HELLO MY FRIEND. I AM FINE)

Following this example, it is observed that Sarah and Mere code switch
from English to Maori during their conversation. The language shift
these people perform reflects their ethnic identity and functions as a
bridge that builds solidarity among them, which is also related to
the high intimacy level concerning their relationship.

These functions of code switching in natural contexts mentioned above
may have commonalities with its observable applications in foreign
language classrooms. In dealing with these functions, teachers’
perspectives and students’ perspectives will be handled separately in
order to reflect a wide ranging understanding of the phenomenon in
educational settings. In building relations between “the use and
functions of code switching in authentic contexts” and “the use and
functions of code switching in foreign language classrooms”, it should
be kept in mind that a language classroom is a social group; therefore
a phenomenon related to naturally occurring daily discourse of any
social group has the potential to be applicable to and valid for any
language classroom.

The Functions of Teachers’ Code Switching

The teachers’ use of code switching is not always performed
consciously; which means that the teacher is not always aware of the
functions and outcomes of the code switching process. Therefore, in
some cases it may be regarded as an automatic and unconscious
behaviour. Nevertheless, either conscious or not, it necessarily serves
some basic functions which may be beneficial in language learning
environments. These functions are listed as topic switch, affective
functions, and repetitive functions by Mattson and Burenhult (1999:61).
In order to have a general idea about these, it will be appropriate to
give a brief explanation about each function.

In topic switch cases, the teacher alters his/her language according to
the topic that is under discussion. This is mostly observed in grammar
instruction, that the teacher shifts his language to the mother tongue
of his students in dealing with particular grammar points, which are
taught at that moment. In these cases, the students’ attention is
directed to the new knowledge by making use of code switching and
accordingly making use of native tongue. At this point it may be
suggested that a bridge from known (native language) to unknown (new
foreign language content) is constructed in order to transfer the new
content and meaning is made clear in this way as it is also suggested
by Cole (1998): “a teacher can exploit students’ previous L1 learning
experience to increase their understanding of L2”.

In addition to the function of code switching named as topic switch,
the phenomenon also carries affective functions that serve for
expression of emotions. In this respect, code switching is used by the
teacher in order to build solidarity and intimate relations with the
students. In this sense, one may speak off the contribution of
code switching for creating a supportive language environment in the
classroom. As mentioned before, this is not always a conscious process
on the part of the teacher. However, one may also infer the same thing
for the natural occurrence of code switching as one can not take into
guarantee its conscious application if the Maori example given in
section II is considered.

Another explanation for the functionality of code switching in
classroom settings is its repetitive function. In this case, the
teacher uses code switching in order to transfer the necessary
knowledge for the students for clarity. Following the instruction in
target language, the teacher code switches to native language in order
to clarify meaning, and in this way stresses importance on the foreign
language content for efficient comprehension. However, the tendency to
repeat the instruction in native language may lead to some undesired
student behaviours. A learner who is sure that the instruction in
foreign language will be followed by a native language translation may
loose interest in listening to the former instruction which will have
negative academic consequences; as the student is exposed to foreign
language discourse limitedly.

The Functions of Students’ Code Switching

As it is the case for teachers’ code switching, the students also are
not always aware of the reasons for code switching as well as its
functions and outcomes. Although they may unconsciously perform
code switching, it clearly serves some functions either beneficial or
not. Eldridge names these functions as: equivalence, floor-holding,
reiteration, and conflict control (1996:305-307).

The first function of student code switch is equivalence. In this case,
the student makes use of the native equivalent of a certain lexical
item in target language and therefore code switches to his/her native
tongue. This process may be correlated with the deficiency in
linguistic competence of target language, which makes the student use
the native lexical item when he/she has not the competence for using
the target language explanation for a particular lexical item. So
“equivalence” functions as a defensive mechanism for students as it
gives the student the opportunity to continue communication by bridging
the gaps resulting from foreign language incompetence.

The next function to be introduced is floor-holding. During a
conversation in the target language, the students fill the stopgap with
native language use. It may be suggested that this is a mechanism used
by the students in order to avoid gaps in communication, which may
result from the lack of fluency in target language. The learners
performing code switching for floor holding generally have the same
problem: they can not recall the appropriate target language structure
or lexicon. It may be claimed that this type of language alternation
may have negative effects on learning a foreign language; since it may
result in loss of fluency in long term.

The third consideration in students’ code switching is reiteration,
which is pointed by Eldridge as: “messages are reinforced, emphasized,
or clarified where the message has already been transmitted in one
code, but not understood” (1996:306). In this case, the message in
target language is repeated by the student in native tongue through
which the learner tries to give the meaning by making use of a
repetition technique. The reason for this specific language alternation
case may be two-folds: first, he/she may not have transferred the
meaning exactly in target language. Second, the student may think that
it is more appropriate to code switch in order to indicate the teacher
that the content is clearly understood by him/her.

The last function of students’ code switching to be introduced here is
conflict control. For the potentially conflictive language use of a
student (meaning that the student tends to avoid a misunderstanding or
tends to utter words indirectly for specific purposes), the
code switching is a strategy to transfer the intended meaning. The
underlying reasons for the tendency to use this type of code switching
may vary according to students’ needs, intentions or purposes.
Additionally, the lack of some culturally equivalent lexis among the
native language and target language--which may lead to violation of the
transference of intended meaning--may result in code switching for
conflict control; therefore possible misunderstandings are avoided.

A Discussion on the Use of Code switching in Language Classrooms

Many teachers, who are in favour of the applications of communicative
techniques in the language teaching environment, oppose any form of
native language use during classroom instruction. Contrary to this,
supporters of the use of native language in the form of code switching,
suggest that it may be an effective strategy in various aspects.
Following the ideas of these two parties, some weak and strong sides of
the use of code switching in foreign language classroom settings will
be mentioned with a critical perspective.

Cook (2002:333) handles the subject matter considering multilingual
classrooms in saying that the application of code switching in classes
which do not share the same native language may create problems, as
some of the students (though few in number) will somehow be neglected.
So, at this point it may be suggested that the students should share
the same native language, if code switching will be applied in
instruction. Another point to consider in this respect is that the
competence of the teacher in mother tongue of students also plays a
vital role, if positive contributions of code switching are expected. A
further discussion is put forward by Eldridge, as he suggests “the
learners have no guarantee that their audience will share knowledge of
their mother tongue” (1996:309). This perspective concerns the
interaction of students with native speakers of the target language, as
mutual intelligibility may not be possible if the learner switches his
language during communication.

In supporting the existence of code switching in language
classrooms, Skiba (1997) suggests that in the circumstances where
code switching is used due to an inability of expression, it serves for
continuity in speech instead of presenting interference in language. In
this respect, code switching stands to be a supporting element in
communication of information and in social interaction; therefore
serves for communicative purposes in the way that it is used as a tool
for transference of meaning. Additionally, the functions of the
teacher’s code switching as mentioned in III stand as supportive
explanations for the strong sides of the phenomenon. All these in
general lead to the idea that the use of code switching somehow builds
a bridge from known to unknown and may be considered as an important
element in language teaching when used efficiently.

Conclusion

Throughout the paper, the functions of code switching in foreign
language classrooms are presented with reference to its uses in
bilingual communities. Following the functions of students’ and
teachers’ code switching, weak and strong sides are discussed in order
to clarify the phenomenon with different perspectives.

With respect to all points mentioned above, it may be suggested that
code switching in language classroom is not always a blockage or
deficiency in learning a language, but may be considered as a useful
strategy in classroom interaction, if the aim is to make meaning clear
and to transfer the knowledge to students in an efficient way. Yet, it
should be kept in mind that in long term, when the students experience
interaction with the native speakers of the target language;
code switching may be a barrier which prevents mutual intelligibility.
Accordingly, the teacher has a vital role for preventing its long-term
damages on foreign language learning process.

References

Cole, S .1998. The Use of L1 in Communicative
English Classrooms. The Language Teacher, 22:11-13